Out of all the health issues we face today, perhaps one that the public most misunderstands is mental health. According to the Centers for Disease Control, mental illnesses are “conditions that affect a person’s thinking, feeling, mood or behavior, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia....

The consequences of youth substance abuse are serious, resulting in brain development problems, car accidents, risky sexual behavior, school dropouts and more. (You can read about the 7 consequences of underage drinking here). In addition, teens are using substances at a surprisingly early age. The average...